A US federal judge has ordered alleged Punjab gang member Nitish Kaushal to remain in custody pending trial and be transferred to Los Angeles to face racketeering conspiracy charges, as prosecutors released new details alleging the organisation systematically recruited vulnerable youth in Punjab — including minors — with promises of money and pathways to migrate abroad. The ruling was issued on Wednesday, 22 July by US Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle of the District of Vermont.

Court Orders Detention and Transfer

Judge Doyle concluded that no combination of release conditions would reasonably assure either the safety of the community or Kaushal's appearance in court, ordering him detained pending trial. The court further directed that Kaushal be transferred to the Central District of California, where a federal grand jury has already returned an indictment charging him with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) conspiracy. Court records show Kaushal requested court-appointed counsel and will remain in federal custody pending the transfer.

The RICO charge carries a potential life sentence, a factor prosecutors cited in their detention motion as grounds for keeping him behind bars. The government also argued he poses a serious flight risk and a danger to the community.

Arrest Near Canadian Border

The court proceedings follow Kaushal's arrest on 16 July in Alburgh, Vermont, within one mile of the Canadian border, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) placed him on its Most Wanted list. According to prosecutors, authorities had attempted to arrest him on 7 July but failed; he allegedly abandoned a mobile phone that investigators had been tracking under a court-authorised warrant before disappearing.

Prosecutors allege Kaushal abandoned a vehicle just feet from the international boundary before Canadian law enforcement spotted an individual travelling on foot across the border — though the detention filing notes that individual was not conclusively identified as Kaushal. A Vermont resident subsequently alerted authorities after security cameras captured a man looking inside a vehicle and entering a barn. When US Border Patrol officers encountered Kaushal, he allegedly presented a New Jersey driver's licence bearing another person's name. Fingerprint analysis reportedly confirmed his identity, and prosecutors say Kaushal admitted the licence did not belong to him. A distinctive lion tattoo documented during the investigation was also submitted as evidence.

The government alleges Kaushal, an Indian national also known as 'Lala', entered the United States illegally through Yuma, Arizona, in 2022 and has no ties to Vermont. Prosecutors further allege he was charged in 2023 with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, and weapons offences, was ultimately convicted of a firearms offence and sentenced to 60 days in custody, and was allegedly involved in a misdemeanour drug offence in 2026. Those prior allegations have not been adjudicated in the present case.

The Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organised Crime Group

The 44-page federal indictment names Kaushal as one of 15 defendants charged in connection with the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Organised Crime Group, which prosecutors describe as a transnational criminal syndicate headquartered in India with members spread across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The organisation allegedly had more than 1,000 members and associates worldwide, including more than 100 in the United States alone.

According to the indictment, the group generated revenue through murder-for-hire contracts, kidnapping, drug trafficking, extortion, weapons trafficking, money laundering, and human smuggling. Prosecutors allege it operated extensive narcotics trafficking routes across the United States while also running extortion schemes targeting victims' families — particularly relatives living in India. The indictment further alleges that members worked with corrupt law enforcement officials in Punjab by providing false information against rivals, leading to allegedly fabricated criminal proceedings later used to extort money. Those allegations remain unproven.

Recruitment of Minors in Punjab

Among the most striking allegations in the indictment is the organisation's reported recruitment strategy. Prosecutors allege the group deliberately targeted vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in Punjab and specifically sought to recruit minors because they faced lower criminal penalties if caught committing violent crimes. According to the indictment, members were paid as little as ₹20,000 (approximately $200) to carry out murders on behalf of the organisation in some parts of India.

Recruitment coordinators allegedly promised prospective members money, notoriety, power, and 'the ability to escape India.' Prosecutors claim the organisation specifically targeted individuals who could qualify for student or foreign work visas, using overseas postings to the United States and Canada as rewards for loyalty.

What Happens Next

Kaushal will now be transferred to Los Angeles to answer the federal RICO conspiracy charge. The Vermont detention order marks a significant procedural milestone in what prosecutors describe as one of the most consequential US organised crime prosecutions linked to an alleged criminal syndicate with origins in Punjab. The case is being watched closely given its implications for transnational gang enforcement involving the Indian diaspora across multiple countries.